In order to increase the transport capacity, it is known, for example from EP 1 046 605 B1, for a plurality of elevator cabins to be provided in an elevator shaft of a so-called multimobile elevator. Furthermore, a plurality of such elevator shafts can advantageously be provided. When a user now makes a destination call, then an elevator control system assigns an appropriate transport job to one of the available elevator cabins, and informs the user which elevator cabin he is intending to use. For this purpose, the control system signals to the user a specific designation which has been assigned to the elevator cabin which will carry out his transport job, and indicates this designation at an entry location, when the appropriate elevator cabin is available there.
In the exemplary embodiment in EP 1 046 605 B1, the elevator control system allocates, for example, the designation “B3” to one user. If the display which is associated with the elevator shaft “B” now outputs the designation “B1”, then the user will be aware that the elevator cabin designated in this way is not intended for him. Only when the display outputs the designation “B3” does the user know that this elevator cabin will now carry out his transport job, and enters. This allows the flow of people to be split up deliberately, thus optimizing the elevator capacity. By way of example, in the stated exemplary embodiment, the “B1” cabin can move to the top floor without interruption, while the “B3” cabin services only the lower floors.
In the method disclosed in EP 1 046 605 B1, the user is not provided with any view of what is happening in the elevator system. In particular, he does not know at an early stage when “his” elevator cabin will be available at the entry location, since all that is output is the designation of the elevator cabin which will in each case be the next to arrive or is currently stopped on that floor. During the waiting time, the user is forced to continuously observe the display at the entry location while waiting for the elevator cabin which has been assigned to his transport job. There is therefore a considerable risk that the user will miss the elevator cabin assigned to his transport job, or will erroneously enter the incorrect elevator cabin.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a better display apparatus and a better communication method.